Month: July 2017

Have you ever felt a massive pile of guilt on your conscious after any of the following events:

Eating copious amounts of junk food

Missing one or multiple workouts

Taking a nap

Sleeping in on the weekend

Not drinking any water during the day

Drinking alcohol

etc., etc., etc.,

If so, let me ask you a question, has feeling guilty ever improved the situation? Has guilt ever made those events disappear from existence? I’m going to assume that the answers to those questions are no – how do I know this? Because I’ve been there and done that, and I know that guilt has NEVER helped. With that said, let me ask you this, have you ever experienced the feeling of guilt after an event like those listed and let that snowball into more and more decisions that probably weren’t the greatest? Yes, you have, and then what? You probably felt even more guilt! Again, I’ve been there, done that.

So what can we do to avoid the guilt train? First, try to be more conscious when it comes to making choices – own the fact that you have a choice to do or not do something and commit to your decision. If you decide to skip your workout to go home and take a nap, please make that decision with purpose and don’t wake up feeling guilty for it!

Second, if by chance you do make a poor decision and do something that you’re not particularly proud of, please stop feeling guilty. Get over it and get back on the gain train – and please none of the, “ill start back Monday” crap. It only takes a matter of seconds to make a great choice and get back on track – so don’t wait til the next week to do so!

Personal example – this week I celebrated my ten year anniversary of being 21 🙂 In doing so, my beautiful bride took me to a great dinner where I enjoyed drinks, appetizers, a delicious main course and followed it all up with a very large helping of Fro-Yo (Frozen Yogurt for you non-hip people). Going down, everything was amazing – however, afterwards I can’t say that I felt so great. But did I feel guilty? Heck no – why? Because it was my birthday and whenever there’s a special event I have the right to eat and drink whatever I want with no consequences, right? FALSE! Its because I made a decision to indulge in things that I don’t eat on a regular basis knowing damn well that I would not feel great afterwards – and I was okay with it. I got done, felt like my stomach was going to burst, went to bed, woke up and moved on.

The problem I see most people deal with is they let their situations control their behaviors and then feel guilty for doing so – STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! Take ownership of your choices, stop blaming your situation or peers, stop feeling guilty, and achieve greatness!

Being a coach means always observing, even when I’m not on the clock, I’m watching and gathering as much as I can about our members. One thing that has always been an observation of mine is an expectation of progress, and the speed at which it comes, most notably when we are talking about strength or a higher skill movement.

There is a tendency to make comments about things that more advanced students, or coaches, do in the gym as if it is a display of a talent they have. We’re talking about strength and conditioning here, there is no amount of talent that makes heavy barbell work look easy. Some of the members in the gym have being doing high level S&C for over a decade. I myself, can remember in college, being the only guy on the team who had never done a power clean. That was 9 years ago. Its been a long road for the more advanced lifters to get where they are. I personally don’t “have a knack for doing barbell thrusters” for example, I’ve just been doing it for a third of my life.

As a novice student in the gym, it’s very easy to get caught up in checking progress from day to day, when in reality, its needs to be month to month, and probably more so, year to year. Specifically when talking about strength. Strength, whether it be a barbell lift or the ability to rep out strict pull ups, doesn’t happen in weeks or months; think years, and then add a couple. I don’t want this to be seen as discouragement, rather a recalibration of our timelines. The journey you’re on with us is going to be paved with victories, PR’s, and new milestones.

And it’s way simpler to get there than you think…

Remember we’re always watching. I see us making this all complicated. You’ve got meetings and responsibilities (kids, dogs, mowing the lawn) and this work in the gym is tough after all, right? If we all agree that things like love, war, and getting to the gym are hard then we can mutually agree that if we give it our best college try, God willing things will work out…..right? I mean I guess that works, but what if we are being dramatic? What if the simple truth is that this gym thing, and the progress that comes with it is so easy that we all look ridiculous when we find a way to mess it up?

Let’s think about it. If you are a certified badass, dedicated student that came in, oh I don’t know… three days a week (yes that’s it) and you didn’t intentionally eat like you were trying to kill yourself, you’d be untouchable. No doctor could tell you to “be a little better”. You could sign up for any tough mudder, triathlon, bike race, or Highland games you wanted to. I’m talking about you being a strong, enduring, mobile, certified badass.

Its this easy:

Train three days a week with the same dedication that you watch Game of Thrones.

Don’t intentionally eat like you are trying to kill yourself (Think lean meats, fish, veggies, some fruits, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar)

This is easy. Patience is easy. Yet somehow we turn this process into a lunar landing attempt. I’m not asking you to drink the Kool Aide (wayyyy too much sugar), I’m not saying become a gym rat. I’m telling you this far away, improbable goal of true, real fitness is not hard. Be patient. Show up. Eat your veggies. Go get it.

In the past 2 weeks, our community has had to bid farewell to 4 amazing people who have been our members for several years. They are each leaving the state/area for work related reasons (promotions, fellowships, schooling) and we could not be more proud of the growth they have made in the time we have known them. We are so excited for the next part of their journeys and know with certainty they will be successful in achieving their goals. As I said my goodbyes, I was met with kind words and warm embraces. Gestures that made me realize Reviver was not merely just a gym to them, but so much more. Each of them mentioned how much they will miss the community, the relationships they have built, and everything they have learned here. Hearing this made me think of OUR VISION at Reviver: To create an ever-expanding community that fosters our commitment to changing lives and building relationships through functional training and hard work.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about the word, RELATIONSHIPS, and what that means to me. Strong, meaningful, true relationships take time to build. They take commitment, they take patience, they grow, they evolve, and they are hard to break. Those are the types of relationships we hope to build inside these walls, and the ones we hope our members continue to pursue outside of these walls.

One of our main goals at Reviver is to strengthen the relationship you have with yourself, your family, your friends, your co-workers, and your community. How can a gym do that? Isn’t it just a place to exercise and get sweaty? That is what I thought 5+ years ago when I joined, because any gym I belonged to prior to Reviver was merely that, a place to exercise. I did not understand how it could be more, or why I would want it to be. My life has changed drastically since that day and over the course of 5 years I have seen countless others experience the same changes.

Here are some tips on how to begin building better relationships:

Start with yourself – Let’s begin with how you talk to yourself (we all do it so don’t deny it). Is your inner voice throwing insults and negativity your way (being a bully), or is it filled with motivation, encouragement, and confidence (being a friend). Where does bullying yourself get you? Nowhere!… OK done with that. Now this isn’t just about self-talk (as most people say, actions speak louder than words), it’s also about how you treat yourself. How can you possibly take care of anyone else if you are not willing to and actively taking care of yourself? I bet you a pretty penny that if you were healthier, fitter, less stressed out, and had more energy… you’d probably be a better parent/spouse/sibling/friend/co-worker. Anyone want to argue that? I didn’t think so.

Family/Friends – here is where things can get tricky. Rather than going on all day here, I’m going to keep it simple. CREATE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE WHO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE YOUR LIFE… AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE IN THEIRS.

Co-Workers – let’s be honest, you can’t always choose who you work with. My advice here is the latter part of (2). Be a positive influence to your co-workers. Be that person that they can rely on, look up to, and strive to be like. It’s kind of cliché but positivity is contagious, so is negativity… choose wisely which you spread.

Community – I think I may be psychic… here’s my prediction… I predict that if you do 1-3, you will automatically do 4. A person who believes in themselves and lives a healthy life, is surrounded with meaningful relationships, and pursues positive interactions with others…. will improve relationships in their community. Just think with no negative self-talk you will have lots of time to think about others and how to help them, plus you’re going to have a lot more energy because you’re ya know… healthy and stuff. By creating meaningful relationships with others you are likely want to do meaningful things together, like I don’t know, get together with other positive people and do positive things. And lastly, you have no idea how impactful you can be to your co-workers and the people in their personal lives just by simply being a kind and helpful rolemodel.

Inside these walls the classes are filled with best friends, brothers and sisters, cousins, husbands and wives, parents and children, as well as co-workers. The majority of new members that walk through our doors are personal referrals from current members. They are not going out to solicit random people on the street. They are reaching out to the people closest in their lives who they want to see improve their quality of life and believe we can help in making these healthy changes.

Break that down for a second with me… Our members are people who (1) decided to improve their relationship with SELF by joining a gym and making healthy lifestyle changes. People who then (2&3) reached out to FAMILY/FRIENDS/CO-WORKERS to be a positive influence and help these individuals start improvement in their own self-relationships. People who by doing 1,2 and 3) have created (4) an incredible, healthy, fun-filled COMMUNITY that continues to expand with the growth of their relationships!…. the end.

Most people know what they should and should not eat but not a lot of people know how much they should be eating. Well don’t worry, after this breakdown you will have a much better idea on how much you should eat. I tried to keep this as simple and to the point as possible. This of course can/should be a much deeper discussion. If you want to have a deeper discussion on this, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Starting with your GOAL will help us determine how many CALORIES you should be eating. If your goal is basic weight loss and you sit at a desk all day, your calorie needs are different than, if your goal was weight loss but you are on your feet all day. Calories are divided into 3 different MACRONUTRIENTS. Macronutrients determine the make-up of the food eat. Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat are the three macronutrients. Foods also contain MICRONUTRIENTS, which are broken down into vitamins and minerals. All foods have Macronutrients but not all foods have Micronutrients. Micronutrients are mostly found in fruits and vegetables, that’s why it’s so important to eat them. How many calories you eat will determine whether you gain, maintain, or lose weight. What the Macronutrient/Micronutrient breakdown of those calories are will determine how you look, feel, and/or perform (soft and round vs. hard and fit). You might be eating enough calories but your macronutrient breakdown might be off or vice versa. You may have your calories and your macros right but not the right EXERCISE. Below is guide to help set you up on the right path:

Goal

Calories: BMR + TDEE

Macros: pro/carb/fat%

Exercise intensity

health

14 (maintain)

30/40/30%

Mixed low-mod

fat loss

12 (lose)

35/30/35%

Mostly low

performance

14 (maintain)

35/45/20%

Mixed low-high

competition

16 (gain)

30/50/20%

Mostly high

Here’s how the chart works:

First determine your goal.

(example: fat loss)

Your current bodyweight x goal (12,14,16)

(example 200#x12=2400 calories)

Figure out your macros.

(example: fat loss)

2400x.35=840/4=210g of Protein

2400x.30=720/4=180g of Carbs

2400x.35=840/9=93g of Fat

Match your exercise intensity to your goal.

Assess and adjust as needed.

With all that said, each person is unique. The numbers provided above are a baseline and what works for most, but not all. This also goes without saying but stress and sleep will play a big role on you achieving your goal. Just trying to keep this simple to exercise and nutrition. I also don’t recommend a dramatic change in your nutrition overnight. Most people struggle with “staying in their lane” (example: goal is fat loss, but eat enough calories for weight gain, and exercise for performance). If all this is brand new to you, here are some tips to get started.

Start tracking your food on MyFitnessPal. Don’t change how you eat, just track what you eat to get a better idea on how many calories you eat and what your macro/micro nutrient profile looks like.

Once you know how many calories you are getting in, I would then try to hit the Protein number based on your goal. Because most people aren’t great at eating enough protein, I would recommend taking this slowly (don’t jump from 100g to 210g overnight… slowly increase by 20g or so each week)

Once you’ve reached your Protein goal, I would then move onto my Carb goal. Because most people overeat Carbs, I would slowly lower this until my goal was reached. Perfect world once your goal was hit, I would then look at how much fiber vs. sugar you are getting. Most people could have more fiber and less sugar.

Once Protein and Carbs are hit, I would then work on Fat. Same as carbs, most people don’t have difficulty hitting fat, I would slowly lower this until my goal reached. Perfect world once you get this number balanced out I would look at how much healthy fat Poly/Mono unsaturated fats you are getting vs. trans fat.

After 10-14 days of consistently hitting my goals, I would then Assess where I am at and adjust as needed.

“As long as you’re willing to make ADJUSTMENTS, you’ll always have PROGRESS.”

Nutritional changes take time and should be done slowly. This helps the body adjust appropriately and keep the mind from becoming overwhelmed and thus unlikely to stick with it. Take your time, be patient with yourself, and try to have some fun with the process. Of course, if you have questions, comments, or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out!

What is your athletic background?: I usually workout on my own, go for a light run.

What is your favorite and least favorite WOD / movement?: My favorite movement is the Back Squat because I feel like I can really handle the weight. My least favorite..its hard to choose! I would say the Boat Pose because I can never stay still, and the BIKE!!

What is your greatest accomplishment? Personal, professional and fitness related.: My greatest accomplishment is getting into nursing school, and now preparing to graduate in December. On the fitness side it would be committing to Reviver, and actually getting up to come.

Has CFR made you better? If yes, how so?: CFR has definitely made me better. I have learned so much about myself over this last year. I believe the most valuable way CFR has helped me is reminding me to focus on staying in my own lane. For me it became not only a rule for working out but in other areas of my life as well.

What are your hobbies?: I love to read sad love stories, write, and YouTube DIY projects that I’ll never start.

What are your Top 5 favorite movies?: The Prince of Egypt, Love and Basketball, The Longest Ride, Mulan, & Just Wright.

What is one thing we don’t know about you?: I have a blog. It’s an inspirational blog.

What are your goals in life? Personal, professional and fitness related.: My personal goal is to be an amazing wife, mother and nurse one day :). My professional goal is to be great at what I do, and not to become too familiar. My fitness related goal would be to become stronger. I would love to do strict pull ups.